Naitve Americans In The Contact Zone

Long before the Europeans set foot on American soil, the American Indians, or rather the Native Americans had been living on this land. Ever since the first Europeans inhabited America there has been a fascination with its land. It’s beautiful scenery and its rich soil made, for the settlers, an attractive place to settle. In the distance the Native Americans (dubbed Indians by the settlers) watched as more and more Europeans came into their homeland. Unfortunately the American government took advantage of the Indians by tricking them into selling their land and forcing them off if they refused; this started to aggravate the Indians because they were constantly being forced off their own land. This cultural phenomenon is what Mary Louise Pratt has termed the “contact zone” which is to refer to the “social spaces where cultures meet clash and grapple with each other, often in contexts of highly asymmetrical relations of power such as colonialism, slavery or other aftermaths as they are lived out in many parts of the world.” (Pratt 34) I believe what Pratt is referring to is the situation that is created when two completely distinct cultures, which operate on totally different levels, attempt to interact. Each culture brings with them their own values and traditions that the other culture may not entirely understand. This can often lead to confusion, misunderstandings or sometime worse. The meeting of western and Indian cultures created exactly this “contact zone” situation that Pratt defines. The aftermaths of certain situations have been both positive and negative and also have had simultaneously posed a threat while providing opportunities.

The Europeans brought with them not only a desire and will to conquer the new continent f...

... middle of paper ...

...pt to the social and economic changes. However, it must also be taken into consideration that these modifications allowed for the Indians to work, and subsequently their thoughts and ideas, to be known to the general public. In opposition to those who argue that this assimilation was positive, many people believe that the introduction of Native American Indians into the global economy transformed the once sacred traditions into a product of western culture whose only concern is consumer consumption.

While the Indians were at peace with nature, the white man was destroying it, cutting down its forests and exploiting its natural recourses. The Indians had no concept of time other than that of the sum and of the seasons, while eh whites had business deadlines and busy schedules. Because of this vast difference in values, peaceful coexistence was not easy to achieve.